Machine for measuring and packaging powdery materials.



G'. MENIER 3 v MACHINE FOR MEASURING-AND PACKAGING POWDERY MATERIAL$., I APPLICATION FILED JUNEIT, 191a. 1,179,858. Patented Apr. 18,1916.

I 2 susns-snsn' I. v

, e. M ENIEB. I M AC HINE FOR MEASURING AND PACKAGING POWDERY MATERIALS.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Patented Apr; 18,

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17' 191.3.

GAs'roN 'MENIEB, or PARIlS, FRANCE.

MACHINE non MEASURING AND PACKAGING POWDERY MATERI LS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

' Application filedJune 17,1913. Serial No. 7745246.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown thatl, GASTON MnN ER, a citizen of the French Republic, residlng at No. 56 Rue de Chateaudun, in Paris, France,

have'invented a new and useful Machine for-Measuring and Packaging Powdery Materials, which is fully lowing specification,

This invention has reference to a machine for measuring and packaging powdery materials and more particularly oily powdery materials for food, as for example,-

powdered chocolate. This machine based on volumetric principles is exempt from the inconveniences of the actual weighing machines, which do not give a weight sufficiently approximate, more particularly for small quantities. Furthermore its arrange ment is such that whatever may be the tendency for the material to be -measured to agglomerate and adhere together, it nevertheless moves easily along and does not stick to the walls of the various parts, such as distributing, measuring and packaging parts. Finally it permits of working with very great rapidity and of simultaneously efie'cting a great number of measurings and packagingsf which must be taken into consideration, more particularly when it has to do with a powdery material to be divided up into'quantities of very small weight.

One embodiment 'of the invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical and longitudinal section showing the arrangement and the general working ofw the component parts of the machine. Fig. 2 is a partial plan with section along the line A'-.B of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is the separate plan of the carriage and the measuring buckets provided thereon. Fig. 4 shows in elevation and plan one of these; buckets. Fig. 5 shows in elevation and in plan the devicesfor mounting these 45 measuring buckets-and maintaining them in the filling position. Fig. 6 is a. part vertical section showing one of the buckets while passing beneath a scraper for removing the excess of material supplied from 9. I50 distributing hopper. Fig. 7 is another part vertical section showing the emptying of one of these measuring buckets into a' funnel provided underneath with a small'packing box. 3 g 65 The machine comprises a feed or distribset forth in the foluting hopper 10, one Or more measuring buckets or receptacles l and one ,or more receiving funnels 20. The hopper 10 has one or'more discharge openings corresponding to the measuring receptacles, and the parts are so arranged that the buckets can register with the openings to receive material therethrough and be filled. After filling, the buckets or receptacles can be discharged respectively into the. funnels 20.

Preferably, relative horizontal movement is possible so as to bring the openings in the hopper and the measuring receptacle into and out of register with each other, the receptacles being filled when in register with the openings, and being discharged into the funnels when out of register with the openings. the receiving funnels are stationary, and the measuringreceptacles are horizontally movable relatively to them. In the preferred embodiment of the invention this movement is a reciprocating one back and forth between the hopper and the funnels.

Referring to the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in the drawings, the measuring buckets 1 ,arearranged in a line' (Fig. 3) on a transporting carriage 2v mounted on rails.- These buckets are of a volume corresponding to a given weight of given material. The buckets are preferably formed with tight bottoms and are dis- By preference the feed hopper and The buckets are preferably cylindrical (Fig.

4) with projecting circular ribs and mserted in spring clips 3 connected to a shaft 4 (Figs. 3 and 5) capable of turning on the transporting carriage 2. This shaft 4 is provided at its ends with toothed pinions 5,

'rollers'facilitating its movement along fixed rails 7, is connected to a lever 8 exposed to the action of a cam. 9 intended to impart to the said transporting carriage the various necessary movements. A counter-weight 9 or any other suitable arrangementconstantly tends to draw the transporting carriage backward.

The feeding hopper 10 is arranged above the transporting carriage and, .is so posi- I i for mechanically agitating the material in the hopper at points closely adjacent the feed opening to cause the material to flow freely through the opening. Preferably this agitation is effected by means of vibratory movements, but the invention, as concerns some of its features, is not limited in this respect. In the preferred construction one of the walls of thehopper 10 is provided with a plate 11 with transverse vibratory movement intended to stir up the matenal, the tendency of which is to agglomer ate, and to facilitate its passage through the outlet of the hopper. The plate 11 is suspended by threaded rods 12 (Figs. 1 and 2) permitting of regulating as regards height the position of its lower edge which is suitably cut out to provide openings so that the material is gradually directed into the measuring buckets. Between these out out or notched portions the plate 11 is provided with blades 13'intended, owing to the vibratory movement in which they participate, to revent the formation of bridges which might occur in the material at the sides of each outlet.

The vibratory movement of the plate 11 can be effected by means of a rotary cam 13 and a suitable spring transmission (Figs. 1 and 2). The cam 13' is provided with an undulating surface along a part of its periphery, this undulating surface giving the required vibratory movement 'tov the plate 11 during the filling period of the buckets. The camis also provided,-through the remainder of its periphery, with a smooth cylindrical surface which serves to interrupt the vibratory movements 'while' the bucketsare out of filling, position. It will be seen that the buckets are overfilled, a natural heap being formed at the upper part of the buckets. The material in excess falls into an over-flow hopper or receptacle 14 from where it is again taken andpoured into the hopper 10. V

In front of the hopper 10 is situated a small bar or scraper 15' vertically adjust-- able and with aflexible lower border. When the filled buckets arecarried along by the carriage 2 moved by the cam 9, this bar 15 scrapes across their upper portion Fig. 6) thereby causing the material in excess to fall into the receptacle 1 f. In this manner the volumetric measurement is regulated and the buckets only carry along with them strictly measured quantities of material cor-v responding to a given weight. The error in weight has been found to be practically insignificant even for very small quantities of material.

shutter 16 is automatically applied beneath As soon as the buckets that 'have been filled leave the hopper a small the latter to avoid any useless discharge of material, although there is notmuch danger of this owingto the stoppage of the vibratory movement of the plate 11. 'This shutter pivoted to the back of the hopper can be brought into the closing position (Fig. 6) by bars 17 carried by the carriage 2 (Fig. 3)

or by any other means. The shutter 16 may if desired be dispensed with without thereby entailing any serious disadvantage. In any case the carriage with its measurin buckets continues to move forward untl the moment at which its rollers '9' strike against stops 18, 18 fastened to the rails 7, 7. The cam 9 is so shaped that this must happen. It will be remarked, however, that the stops in question form elongated hooks running in horizontal direction and preventing the lifting up of the front of the carriage during the latter portion of its forward movement and that on the other hand the toothed pinions 5, 5 keyed to the bucket shaft 4 have engaged with the ratchets 19, 19 fastened to the rails 7, 7. It will also be seen that owing to this engagement the shaft 1 will be turned through half a revolution, thereby overturning the buckets (Fig. 7 arranged in line, so as to empty their contents into boxes, bags or. cases and in order to avoid small portions of the measured material sticking to the walls of the buckets and even of the funnels 20, flexible rods 21 knock against the buckets and funnels during the discharge of the said material. These rods are fitted to a bar 22 adjustably mounted on levers 23, 23 pivoted at 24 (Figs. 1, 2 and 7). Said levers have journaled in their free ends the shaft 25 parallel to the bar 22 and carrying cams 26 intended to act on the said rods 21 for the purpose of imparting to them a suitable vibratory movement. At one of its ends the shaft 25 has a toothed pinion 27 for the purpose hereinafter described. Until these buckets 1 have been overturned, the levers 23, 23 are retained in their raised positions (Fig. 1) by the action of springs 28 .in which case the rods 21 are inactive.

-with a toothed wheel 31 provided on the side of the carriage and which is continuously rotated. This movement is then transmitted to the pinion 27 and consequently to the cam shaft 25, so'as to imparta vibratory movement to the flexiblerods 21, so that 29, 29 release the levers 23,23, which are then raised up under the actionof their springs. At the same time the pinions 5, 5 turn in opposite direction and thus bring back the buckets 1 into their filling positions (Fig. 5), and the shu'tterl6, if such is employed, leaves the outlet of the hopper free beneathwhieh the said buckets pass to be filled again. Then the above-mentioned movements are uninterruptedly renewed until the stoppage of the cam shaft 9. It will be seen that when moving forward the carriage owing to theshape of the cam 9 can be stopped-for a short time before turning over the buckets 1, so that the attendant of the machinefcan controhthe'filling of the buckets.

It must' be understotid furthermore that the machine described above may be made of any dimensions and it's transporting car- .rlage may be providedwith any number of buckets 1 and consequently of-scrapers 15.

' funnels 20 and striking rods 21. This ma-' ciple of the invention.

What is claimed is v 1. The combination of a feed hopper having a bottom opening and adapted to contain unmeasured powdered dry material, a measuring receptacle registrable with'the opening, means for agitating the material in the hopper adjacent the opening to cause it to feed freely therethrough t9 repeatedly fill the receptacle, ,a funnel adaptedto receivemeasured batches of the material,- means operable when the receptacle is filled for discharging it into the funnel, and means forautomatically interrupting the-action of the agitating means during the discharging of the receptacle. v

K v hopper having a bottom opening and .adapted to contain unmeasured powdered dry material, a

2. The combination of a measuring receptacle registrable with the opening, means for effecting relative .hori- I "zontal. movements to bring the opening and the receptacle-into and out of register with each other, means for agitatingthe material in the hopper. adjacent the' opening to cause it' to feed freely therethrough to fill v the receptacle, a funnel adapted to receive measured batches'of the material, means acting automatically when the receptacle is filled and out of register with the opening to discharge it into the funnel," and means, acting automatically to interrupt the action of the'vibrating means when the receptacle is in discharging position. v

3. The combination of a feed hopper having a bottom opening and adapted to contam unmeasured powdered dry material, a measuring receptacle registrable with the said opening, means for agitating the material inthe hopper adjacent the opening to cause it to feed freely therethrough to fill the receptacle, a funnel adapted toreceive measuredbatches of the material, means op-' erable when the receptacle. is filled to invert it to discharge it into the funnehand means acting simultaneously with the inverting means for automatically interrupting the action of the agitating means.

; 4. The combination of feed hopper having a bottom opening an adapted to contain unmeasured powdered dry material, a

measuring receptacle adapted to register with the said opening, means for effecting relative horizontal movements to bring the opening and the receptacle into and'out of register with each other, means for agitating the material in the hopper adjacent the opening toy-cause it to feed freely therethrough to.fill the receptacle, a funnel adapt-- ed to receive measured batches of the material, means acting automatically when the receptacle is filled and out of register with the opening to invert it to discharge it .into

the funnel, and means acting automatically to interrupt the action of the vibrating means during the discharging of the recep tacle.

5. The combination of a feed hopper having a bottom opening andadapted to contain unmeasured powdered dry material, a

measuring receptacle registrable with the opening, means for vibrating a part of the hopper adjacent 'the opening to cause the material to feed freely through the opening to fill theleceptacle, a funnel adapted to receive measured batches of the material, means operable when thereceptacle is filled to discharge it into theofunnelfand means for automatically interrupting the vibrating during the discharging of the receptacle.

.6. Theicombination of-a feed hopper having a bottom openingand adapted to con-f tainunmeasured powdered dry materiaL'a measuring receptacle movable horizontally into'and out of register w1th the opening, a

funnel adapted to receive measuredbatches of the material,- and means comprising a stationary. rack and a pinion connected with the horizontally movable receptacle for inverting it when filled and moved out of register with the opening to discharge it into the funnel. V

-7. The combination of a feed hopper having a rectilinear series of bottom openings and adapted to contain unmeasured powdered dry material, a rectilinear series of measuring receptacles registrable respectively witlr the openings to be filled therethrough, a reciprocating carrier for the receptacles comprising a frame, an oscillating shaft on the frame and spring clips secured to the shaft and yieldably engaging the rece tacles, a recilinear series of-funnels each a apted to receive measured batches of the material, and means operable when the receptacles are out of register with the openings for rocking the said sln to discharge them into the respective fun.

8. The combination of a feed hopper having a bottom opening and adapted to contain unmeasured powdered dry material, a measuring receptacle registrable with the opening to receive material therethrough, means adapted to receive measured batches of the material, means for repeatedly inverting the filled receptacle to discharge it into the said receiving means, and means operable while the receptacle is inverted for vibrating it.

9. The combination of a feed hopper having a bottom opening and adapted to contain unmeasured powdered dry material, 'a measuring receptacle registrable with the opening toreceive material therethrough, means adapted to receive measured batches of the material, means for repeatedly inverting the filled receptacle to discharge it into the said receiving means, and means operable while the receptacle is inverted for vibrating it, the said means being automatically thrown into and out of action as the receptacle. moves into and out of discharging position. 7

10. The combination of a feed hopper having a bottom opening and adapted to contain unmeasured powdered dry material,

a measuring receptacle registrable with the opening to receive material therethrough, a funnel adapted to receive measured batches of the material, means for causing the discharge of the filled receptacle into the said funnel, and means operable during the discharging for vibrating the receptacle the said means being automatically thrown into. and out of action as the receptacle moves into and out of discharging position.

12. The combination of a feed hopper, a movable carriage, measuring devices rotatably mounted on said carriage, means for rotating said devices to discharge the contents thereof, and vibratory means striking against said measuring devices when discharging for preventing material adhering thereto.

13. The combination of a feed hopper, a

reciprocating carriage, measuring devices movable carriage, measuring devices on said carriage, means for rotating said devices to discharge the contents thereof, vibratory means striking against said measuring devices when discharging for preventing material adhering thereto, and means for retaining said vibratory means inoperative when said measuring devices are being filled.

16. The combination of a feed hopper, a movable carriage, measuring devices on said carriage, means for rotating said devices to and vibratory means striking against said measuring devices when discharging for preventing material adhering thereto.

18. The combination of a frame, a feed, hopper arranged above said frame, a movable carriage mounted on said frame below said feed hopper, rotatable measuring devices mounted on said carriage, means for discharging the contents of said dev1ces,-

funnels for receiving said discharged contents, and vibratory means striking against said measuring devices and funnels for preventing material adhering thereto. I

19. The combination of a feed hopper, a reciprocating carriage, rotatable measuring devices for receiving material from said hopper at the beginning of the movement of said carriage in one direction, means for inverting said measuring devices at the end of the movement of the carriage in the aforesaid direction, and intermittently operated vibratory means for preventing material adhering to said devices when the same are inverted.

20. The combination of a feed hopper having a bottom opening and adapted to contain unmeasured powdered dry material, a measuring receptacle registrable with the opening, means for agitating the mascribing witnesses.

j GASTON MENIER. Witnesses:

I'IANSON C. Coxn, JACOB H. BAKE. 

